After fighting its way to a .500 record in SEC play in coach Larissa Anderson’s first season at the helm, the Missouri softball team entered the SEC Tournament as a No. 7 seed. All but guaranteed a berth in the NCAA Tournament that starts next week, the Tigers looked to pad an already strong resume against the Tigers from Auburn, Alabama.
Wednesday’s game was delayed by more than five hours due to rain, and the Missouri bats never quite woke up despite a strong performance on the mound from redshirt senior Madi Norman.
Auburn (37-18, 10-14 SEC) got out to an early lead thanks to a run-scoring single in the top of the first. Missouri (32-23, 12-12 SEC) was unable to fight back, mustering just five hits in the entire game.
That said, there were some strong individual performances in the Missouri lineup. Senior left fielder Regan Nash walked three times and senior first baseman Kolby Romaine tallied two hits, as did sophomore right fielder Callie Martin.
Still, despite reaching base nine times, Missouri was unable to break through. Auburn was able to pad its lead with a two-run homer in the top of the fifth, and Missouri was unable to put together a serious comeback effort in the late innings.
With the loss, Missouri was eliminated from the SEC Tournament in the opening round, and now will have to wait for its postseason fate to be announced on ESPNU this Sunday night at 8 p.m. CDT.
_Edited by Emily Leiker | eleiker@themaneater.com_